Koh Poh Koon
Koh Poh Koon | |
|---|---|
| 许宝琨 | |
| Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Manpower | |
| Assumed office 15 May 2021 Serving with Zaqy Mohamad | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Tan See Leng |
| Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Health | |
| Assumed office 27 July 2020 Serving with Janil Puthucheary | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Gan Kim Yong (2020–2021) Ong Ye Kung (since 2021) |
| Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Trade and Industry | |
| In office 1 May 2017 – 26 July 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Lim Hng Kiang S Iswaran Chan Chun Sing |
| Senior Minister of State, Ministry for National Development | |
| In office 1 May 2017 – 30 April 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Lawrence Wong |
| Minister of State, Ministry for Trade and Industry | |
| In office 1 January 2016 – 30 April 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Lim Hng Kiang S Iswaran |
| Minister of State, Ministry for National Development | |
| In office 1 January 2016 – 30 April 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Lawrence Wong |
| Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress | |
| In office 22 May 2018 – 14 May 2021 | |
| Secretary-General | Ng Chee Meng |
| Succeeded by | Chee Hong Tat |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for Tampines GRC (Tampines Central) | |
| Assumed office 10 July 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Heng Swee Keat |
| Member of the Singapore Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC (Yio Chu Kang) | |
| In office 11 September 2015 – 23 June 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Seng Han Thong |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1972[1] Singapore |
| Political party | People's Action Party |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | National University of Singapore |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Colorectal surgeon |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Singapore |
| Branch/service | Singapore Army |
| Years of service | 1990–2011 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant-Colonel |
Koh Poh Koon (Chinese: 许宝琨; pinyin: Xú Bǎokūn; born 1972)[1] is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Senior Minister of State at the Ministries of Health and Manpower since 2020 and 2021 respectively. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been a Member of the 14th Parliament representing the Tampines Central ward of Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2020.[2]
Before entering politics, Koh was a colorectal surgeon and medical researcher. He made his political debut as the PAP candidate contesting in the 2013 by-election in Punggol East Single Member Constituency (SMC) against candidates from three other parties, garnering 43.37% of the vote and losing to the Workers' Party's Lee Li Lian, who won 54.5% of the vote. In the 2015 general election, Koh contested in Ang Mo Kio GRC as part of a six-member PAP team and they won with 78.64% of the vote. Koh thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Yio Chu Kang ward of Ang Mo Kio GRC. In the 2020 general election, he switched to the PAP team contesting in Tampines GRC and they won with 66.41% of the vote. Koh had since been serving as Minister of State and later Senior Minister of State at the Ministries of Trade and Industry (2016–2020), National Development (2016–2018), Health (2020–present) and Manpower (2021–present). He was also Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress from 2018 to 2021.[3]
Education
Koh was educated at MacRitchie Primary School, Maris Stella High School and Hwa Chong Junior College[4] before he attended medical school at the National University of Singapore and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1996.[4] He subsequently completed a Master of Medicine (Surgery) at the National University of Singapore and obtained fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Academy of Medicine, Singapore.[4] He also received two Health Manpower Development Programme Scholarships from the Ministry of Health to undergo advanced training in the surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases in Edinburgh and at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.[4]
Career
Medical career
Koh is the founding director of the Colorectal Cancer Genomic Health Service at Singapore General Hospital. He was also a consultant colorectal surgeon in private practice at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre and a visiting consultant surgeon at Singapore General Hospital and Changi General Hospital.
Koh had also been a clinical lecturer at the National University of Singapore, adjunct assistant professor at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, and adjunct clinician scientist at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
Political career
Koh entered politics in January 2013 when he contested as the People's Action Party (PAP) candidate in a by-election in Punggol East SMC triggered by the resignation of its Member of Parliament, Michael Palmer, after it was revealed that he had an extra-marital affair.[5] He contested against candidates from three other parties: Workers' Party's Lee Li Lian; Reform Party's Kenneth Jeyaretnam; and Singapore Democratic Alliance's Desmond Lim. The by-election ended with Koh garnering 43.37% of the vote and losing to Lee, who won with 54.5% of the vote.[6][7]
During the campaigning, Koh had called himself "kaki lang" ("one of us" in Teochew) and "son of Punggol". When reporters asked him about his family's ownership of two cars, he had said, "everybody has a car, we have two... We are professionals, we need to travel." His words were perceived as a blunder and reeking of elitism. After losing the election, he admitted that he had misspoken, saying, "It's not logical, even an idiot wouldn't say that. So it was partly my fault."[8]
In the 2015 general election, Koh joined the six-member PAP team contesting in Ang Mo Kio GRC[9] Following the results of the election, Koh was elected into Parliament when the six-member PAP team won and clinched 78.64% or 135,115 of the electorate's valid votes in the constituency.[10] and they won with 78.64% of the vote against the Reform Party. Koh thus became a Member of Parliament representing the Yio Chu Kang ward of Ang Mo Kio GRC.
On 1 January 2016, Koh was appointed Minister of State at the Ministries of National Development and Trade and Industry. On 1 May 2017, he was promoted to Senior Minister of State and continued serving in the two Ministries; he relinquished his position in the Ministry of National Development on 30 April 2018. On 23 April 2018, Koh was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress[11] and he held this position until 15 May 2021.[12]
In the 2020 general election, Koh switched to join the five-member PAP team contesting in Tampines GRC and they won with 66.41% of the vote against the National Solidarity Party.[13] Koh thus became the Member of Parliament representing the Tampines Central ward of Tampines GRC.[14] On 27 July 2020, he was appointed Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Health. He took up an additional appointment as Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Manpower on 15 May 2021.[12]
Personal life
A Chinese Singaporean of Teochew descent, Koh grew up in a farmhouse at Lorong Cheng Lim in Punggol before he and his family moved to a four-room HDB flat in Toa Payoh. His father was a bus driver who drove the public bus service 82.[15] Koh was the oldest child in his family and often worked part-time jobs when he was young to support his family.[15]
Koh is married to a doctor, with whom he has two daughters.[6]
References
- ^ a b "MP | Parliament of Singapore".
- ^ "Member's Profile - Dr Koh Poh Koon". Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces Singapore's new Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Curriculum Vitae of Dr Koh Poh Koon" (PDF). Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "Speaker of Parliament, PAP MP Michael Palmer resigns due to 'improper conduct'". Yahoo! News. Yahoo! Singapore. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Who's contesting in Punggol East?". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ Au Yong, Jeremy (26 January 2013). "Workers' Party wins Punggol East by-election with 54.52% of valid votes". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "PAP doctor diagnoses his election defeat". Yahoo! News. AsiaOne. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "PAP unveils Ang Mo Kio GRC slate". Channel NewsAsia. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "Results". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ Kwang, Kevin (23 April 2018). "Education Minister Ng Chee Meng, Koh Poh Koon join NTUC as deputy sec-gens". Channel NewsAsia.
- ^ a b Yang, Calvin (7 May 2021). "Chee Hong Tat to replace Koh Poh Koon as NTUC deputy sec-gen on May 15". The Straits Times.
- ^ "ELD | 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results". www.eld.gov.sg. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- ^ "'A life and death situation': PAP's Koh Poh Koon compares governing during pandemic to emergency surgery". AsiaOne. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
- ^ a b Koh, Mui Theng; Tan, Judith (13 January 2013). "Meet the 'son of Punggol'". The New Paper. Singapore Press Holdings. asiaone. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
External links
- Koh Poh Koon on Parliament of Singapore
- Doctor's Profile – Dr Koh Poh Koon
- PAP announces candidate for Punggol East SMC